MISTAKES WERE MADE – 5 LESSONS LEARNED

When I was asked how I landed a traditional contract, I said, “By not making any mistakes in my query and sample chapters.” When asked how I learned not to make any mistakes, I said, “By previously making a ton of mistakes.” In presenting my journey from UW’s writing programs to landing a traditional contract, I find that most of the questions, and indeed the largest portion of time was spent on the mistakes I made and the rejections I received.

In an effort to inform and help other writers I created what I believe to be the 5 biggest mistakes I’ve made and the lessons learned from them (the hard way). In addition, I reviewed the rejections I have received and divided them into 5 categories. I believe by understanding what not to do, and what rejections could be helpful, a writer’s path to publication could be made a bit less stressful.